Sadia

by Colleen Nelson

Sadia, a Muslim teenager, must decide how far she is willing to go to defend her beliefs when faced with the pressures of life.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Sports, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Muslims

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 3, 2018

About the author

Colleen Nelson is the author of YA fiction books Finding Hope (2016), 250 Hours (2015), The Fall (2013) and Tori by Design (2011). 'The Fall' and 'Tori by Design' both won the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award. 'The Fall' was also nominated for the White Pine Award. Currently living in Winnipeg with her husband, two young sons and three grown step-children, Colleen manages to eke out time to write everyday, but usually in the early morning after a strong cup of coffee. A junior high school teacher for ten years before having children, Colleen is familiar and comfortable with the tricky phase of life called 'adolescence'. Now a Teacher-Librarian in Winnipeg, Canada, Colleen is constantly on the look-out for books that will catch the attention of her reading-reluctant sons.

Reviews

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Canadian Syrian Sadia is a Grade 9 student who is incredibly passionate about basketball. She jumps at the chance to join this year's co-ed tournament team and her talent speaks for itself. The hijab that she wears as a Muslim, though, can pose a problem on the court. Surrounded by her teammates, her coach and teacher, and a new friend, a Syrian refugee named Amira, she learns to stand up for herself and fight for what's right.

This novel does a very good job to raise awareness and promote compassion between people. It's also a decent story if you're reading it for the basketball elements. This quick novel has been promoted YA, but it definitely reads tonally as MG. It's actually quite tame, but it still manages to raise several important questions - both on a personal and institutional level. In regards to the characters, as much as I liked getting to know Sadia, her friends, and family, I actually found myself rooting for their coach a little more. He's the sort of teacher I would have been honored to have as a high school student.

Sadia by Colleen Nelson is an inspiring story of a girl standing up for what she believes in and is passionate about. That said it doesn't particularly standout of the crowd. I also have to admit that I was expecting more from some of the basketball games we see on the page after all of that buildup. Just so you know, this novel doesn't qualify as #OwnVoices, but Colleen Nelson still offers insight as she is also a Canadian teacher who has taught refugee students.

[Ayah · Rating 2 out of 5]

" Three female Muslim teenagers must decide how far they are willing to go to defend their beliefs when faced with the pressures of life." Gimme that book!!

Sadia, a story that could have gone right, but it didn't!

I am not going to lie, the major reason why I picked up this book is because of its cover. I also like how the plot revolves around an athletic, muslim, refugee girl called Sadia. That being said, let us dive into what went wrong.

1) Friend takes off her hijab trope

I don't understand why non-muslim authors who decide to write muslim characters are always gravitated to that topic.



Do some muslim girls take off their hijab?
Yes!
But if the 1st thing that comes to your mind when you think of muslim girls is " Let us make her take her hijab off", then no thank you.

2) All muslims wear hijab trope.

When a new muslim refugee girl from Syria joins Sadia's school, she sees Sadia's best friend Nazreen.

“Your friend Nazreen,” Amira asked quietly. “Is she Muslim?”
“Yeah. She’s from Egypt.”
“But she doesn’t wear hijab.”



The author said that she has done her research, but that mini conversation shows that she didn't research that much. Syria and Egypt are filled with Muslim girls & women who don't wear the Hijab, so why is Amira confused when she realizes that Nazreen is a muslim, but she does't wear the hijab?

3) Another research issue I noticed is Amira being stunned by snow, when it actually snows in Syria. .

4) Muslim girls unable to play sports, especially with hijab and with men trope.



I want you to do a quick search of muslim girls and women who are athletic....
Have you ever watched the Olympics and the World Cup? Because every time, Egyptian Hijabi women and girls are participating in those. Sometimes, their coaches are men.

Growing up, I trained and participated in many sports. In all of them, except for ballet, the group I was training with included both, boys and girls.

4) The idea of women playing sports is a new, breakthrough achievement for muslims trope.

“You’re the basketball player! Amira talks about you. You play in hijab, she said. With the boys!”
Mrs. Nasser looked at me as if she couldn’t believe it.

There were a couple of things that I liked!

1) Controversy when it comes to playing basketball with hijab.

The Coach was seeking safety, which is a very sensible concern to have, especially with pins used to secure the scarf. This is when Nazreen steps in, and designs a suitable playing attire that complies with both, Sadia's religious practice, and the safety regulations.

Although such outfits already exit, I understand that many people have no access/ knowledge about it. Besides, safety regulations vary from one country to another, so that aspect of the plot was really appreciated. This was also inspired by real girls who created their own hijab sportswear, you can read the article about Aisha's story here



2) Some Regulators were ignorant.

These things do happen, and I am glad to see that it was mentioned in the story.

3) The Cover.

4) No white hero savior bullshit.

I do acknowledge the author's good intentions, but the story had a lot of issues. Not as bad as the ones in Blood and ink, though....

Click here to read my review of Blood and Ink

I received a review copy in exchange with an honest review.

[Lu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadia is a novel about a Muslim teen's experience in high school as she plays basketball and her relationship with her friends and family.
I went into this book with high expectations and thought that it would be similar to The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas meaning that it would address issues plaguing society today. This book went in that direction but it didn't quite hit the mark.
Colleen Nelson provided examples of problems that I know are faced by Muslims today and I really enjoyed that, because it gave me more insight into the issue faced today. The way Colleen Nelson tackled these issues were thought-provoking and informative.
The main reason why it didn't hit the spot for me was that the plot just wasn't there. I felt like the plot wasn't well executed and instead of being one synonymous plot where these occasions happened, it was more as if they pieced together microagressions and racist occasions together to make the book. There wasn't really a conflict, so nothing got resolved and it didn't follow the arc that is usually taken for writing books.
At the end of the day, this book was quite enjoyable to read and I found myself interested to find out what happened next. I recommend this book for everyone because the message is so important and kudos for touching on a subject that is controversial in today's society!
I received this ARC from net galley in exchange for my honest review .

[Bookish Indulgenges with b00k r3vi3ws · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of Sadia, Nazreen and Amira. Sadia and Amira are Syrian Muslims, while Nazreen is an Egyptian Muslim who have all found their way to Canada. Sadia and Nazreen have been in Canada for a while and they have had the time to adjust to the ways of life there. Amira, on the other hand, is new to Canada and has a lot of hurdles to cross before she can settle in. The language barrier is just one example. The book explores the barriers and conflicts that these girls face.

Frankly, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the book. On one hand, the blurb of the book indicated that it would be informative about the cultural differences. On the other hand, I wasn’t really sure if the Canadian Author would be able to do justice to the protagonist’s characters. I actually checked out the author’s Goodreads profile and website to see if she had any related experience. Only thing I could connect is that she has been a teacher for about a decade and so may have had interactions with Muslim girls as her students.

The author has done a good job with her portrayal of Sadia, Nazreen and Amira. At least I feel so because the characters felt very real to me. First is Amira, a Syrian refugee. I could understand, if not relate, to her homesickness as she was forced to leave her country. Leaving Syria and moving to Canada was not a choice that she or her family consciously made. Sadia on the other hand, had moved to Canada before the borders were locked down. She sees it as a blessing in a form. I admired her conviction and faith. Nazreen confused me though. I kind of understood the peer pressure she had trouble handling. What I did not understand was her attitude towards Sadia. Was she just jealous that she did not have the same faith or conviction? Or was she just indifferent and used Sadia when needed?

Read the full review on Bookish Indulgences with b00k r3vi3ws

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great story. While it is certainly aimed at helping young readers understand issues around religion and immigration, like the best books those themes take a back seat to it simply being a great read. I’m not a basketball fan but that didn’t matter. I recommend this book.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read! I read this aloud to two of my Grade 8 ELA classes and they both LOVED it. Half of my homeroom are students who have lived in Canada for less than five years, so hearing a novel about a character who was like them was revelatory for them. We all loved it!

[Nadia · Rating 2 out of 5]

A full review can be found on my blog, Headscarves and Hardbacks!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review!

Despite my initial excitement about seeing a hijabi on the cover of a book about a teenage Muslim basketball player, I was always very conscious of the fact that is written by a non-Muslim author. And it doesn’t just focus on one Muslim character, which meant 1) there was a lot that could have gone wrong and 2) there was a lot that actually did.

Though the characters here are in ninth grade, the novel read like it was targeted at a much younger audience. The opening was incredibly descriptive, where the appearance and character of every student in Sadia’s class was defined. We find out that Sadia is Syrian, Nazreen is Egyptian and Carmina is Filipino, but we rarely hear of how this affects their experiences as minority teenagers in Canada. The multiplicity of personalities in their Global Studies class was, however, well presented. I also enjoyed the exploration of social issues through Mr Letner’s ‘If You Give A Kid A Camera’ project, with the additional passion projects really capturing the message of hopefulness which I believe the novel was trying to portray.

The basketball element was also one I really enjoyed. With the likes of Ibtihaj Muhammad paving the way for hijab-wearing Muslim women in the real-life sporting world, it was refreshing to read about Sadia, her passion for basketball and her parents’ support in her decision to play.

However, whilst it’s important to acknowledge and address the rules and regulations that may deny Muslim women from playing sports in hijab, I wanted to read a book about a hijabi basketball player where the emphasis wasn’t on how the headscarf hindered her performance. Before the tournament discrimination even comes into play, Sadia frequently considers how much easier it would be to play the game without hijab. At one point, the loose end of her headscarf shoots up and obscures her vision, resulting in an elbow to her face and I just can’t even comprehend this happening. Sure, hijab can present itself as a safety issue in many scenarios but it doesn’t render you blind unless you accidentally stab your eyes with the pins that hold it in place.

Furthermore, Sadia and Nazreen’s friendship appears to be heavily dependent on both girls wearing hijab since Sadia strongly believes Nazreen’s ‘de-jabbing’ is the reason they’re drifting apart. The book relies on many problematic and stereotypical views of hijab that can only stem from someone who’s never worn one. The author tries to depict hijab as a choice through Sadia’s conflicted opinion on whether or not to remove hers, yet she also implies that it was a decision made by Sadia’s parents on her behalf: “Mom and Dad had agreed I’d start wearing hijab when I turned 13.” Furthermore, Sadia’s failed attempts at convincing Nazreen to reconsider ‘de-jabbing’ result in even more problematic ideologies: “I wasn’t her parent. It wasn’t up to me to force modesty on her.” At this point, I wasn’t sure what the author was trying to do or say as it felt incredibly contradictory.

The plot of the book was also lacking. To sum it up: a group of students take a class with a teacher and then that same teacher coaches that same group of students to play basketball at lunchtime. Eventually, they compete in a tournament where a chorus of “Let her play!” (which was heart-warming) easily overrides the discriminatory rules that prevent Sadia from competing in her hijab (which was unrealistic.)

Overall, this book was disappointing, and somewhat messy. It equates hijab with being Muslim, which is definitely not the case. And it equates hijab to maintaining friendships, which could not be further from the truth. There are some good elements, but there are also other elements – such as Amira’s arrival as a Syrian refugee – that could have been explored much further. Ultimately, despite the research the author may have put into writing this book, there is so much more that needed to be done.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

No one wants to be a refugee. No one wants to leave their homeland to live somewhere far away, away from friends, away, from family, away from things that aren't familiar.

And Sadia isn't technically a refugee. Her family emigrated to Canada when her father decided Syria had gotten too dangerous, so while she had seen some bad things, they left before it got really bad. Sadia is interested in basketball, and her friends and family. She does not want to be reminded about coming to Canada, and having to fit in. It is hard enough to fit in with her hijab, without having to help a new refugee from Syria, who just came to Canada, and speaks little to no English.

I liked how this story is told from Sadia's point of view. Although she is the "other" for most readers of this book, those who are not emegrants, and are not muslim, because she has lived her long enough to know the customs, she brings the reader into her world, so we can see what is going on with her, from racial rules that say she can't play basketball with a hijab, to her mother being sworn at the bus stop.

Good story for all kids. Good for muslim kids who need to see themselves in books, so they know they have a place in Western society. Good for everyone else to see the same.

And the underlying them, of helping others, that runs very strongly through this book, but does not hit you over the had with a two-by-four. These kids are very human, and make mistakes, but when they see a problem, they try to solve it.

Great book. Good additon to any library, or school, or home.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[Aradhna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful and moving.

*EDITED*

I received this copy in exchange for an honest review from Dundurn publishing. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you Dundurn!

I'm going to admit, when I first got approved for this novel, for some reason I thought it was #ownvoices? I realised I was mistaken quickly enough before I started it, but I was still excited and cautiously hopeful.

The novel is quite a powerful one. It seems like it could have gotten very messy, with a lot happening - but it all manages to tie in together quite well. It seemed honest and earnest, and I cannot be an accurate judge of whether or not the refugee status and the Muslim characters were presented accurately, but from my limited understanding of Islam, it was handled with grace.

A thing that bugged me was that, as far as I know, wearing the hijab is an intensely private and personal affair and choice. I have not heard anything about families forcing their girls to wear the hijab - though I may be wrong. It was a little jarring to read about when everything I've learned about that from my Muslim friends says otherwise, but it worked as a story.

The family aspect of it all was understandable to me, as I come from an Indian family, and was also raised relatively conservatively. My parents had expectations that I did not want to disappoint, and I could understand both Sadia and her brother's approaches to trying to find a balance between respecting their parents' wishes and following their own dreams. It made Sadia a very sympathetic character to me.

My absolute favourite thing about this novel, the thing that made me give it a 4-star rating pretty much, is the scene where Sadia is told she cannot play in the tournament, and her team, and then the whole court starts chanting "Let her play!". It was such a powerful scene. It gave me chills.

Overall, it was a good read, and I am very glad I got a chance to read it.

[Hristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really excited to read Sadia, the synopsis as well as the cover just screamed Sana Bakkoush and my curiosity peaked.
This was a bit of a confusing read. I go into reading YA knowing very well that I'm not the target audience, but with this book I'm not sure that YA is the target audience either. It definitely doesn't feel like a book for muslim YAs, it over explained the simplest of details. I would best describe this book as a children's introduction to Islam.
With that aside, I think the writing style is decent. The plot was okay, I really enjoyed the basketball story arc, but I wasn't feeling the rest. I can't help but think about how much more could've been done with the characters. What I expected to be the main focus, the experience of being an immigrant in Canada, didn't really deliver.

*Copy received through NetGalley. Thanks to Dundurn for the copy.
*Rating: 3/5 stars

[Niki · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOTE: I received an eARC via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my review.

Colleen Nelson's experience as an educator prompted her to write this important novel. The main characters are muslim girls, which isn't prevalent enough in our novels. Sadia, a young teen who wears a hijab as part of her religion, is passionate about basketball. Throughout the novel, Sadia struggles with various situations and expectations, as most teens do, but the reader is exposed to the additional challenges a minority teen faces.

I appreciate that the teens' struggles are handled in a realistic, but also positive manner. The novel promotes honesty, acceptance, unity, and friendship. Nelson's novel works to break down stereotypes and encourages the reader to consider their own actions.

I believe this novel will have a wide-range of appeal, open to all genders, races, religions, and athletic abilities!

[Tas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Find the review and more on Welp. Books!

Find my rant-review on twitter.

Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for the eARC in exchange of an honest review.

Hijabi girl on the cover, MC is a basketball player, three Muslim girls fighting to hold on to their faith and identity. Gimme Gimme Gimme that book. Everything seemed so relatable that I had to request it right away.

The book is about Sadia, a Syrian emigrant in Canada who has to navigate freshman year of high school with new friends, rediscovering old ones and question if her belief and identity is more important than her passion for basketball.

Even with such a great plot premise, everything was wrong. If I were to read this book without the blurb, I'd totally picture Sadia's class to be sixth grade. But that's nothing close to the actual problem.

A big focus on the book is about Sadia being able to play in her Hijab. When facing problems in her regular hijab, Sadia's best friend sews her a sports Hijab. It was a truly inspiring and heartwarming scene, to see how the team and the two best friends came together to let Sadia stay in the court without giving up her hijab. But, then she thinks how this could be inspiring to all Muslim players who can't play because of their hijab.

This is where everything goes wrong. Sports hijab has existed since late 90's, way before Nike came in the sports hijab business. FIBA has approved hijab, so has most basketball associations. Most other sports like Olympics, FIFA, ICC all allow hijab. But let's try to see this as fiction because that's what it is, and let's pretend none of the movements in the real world has happened in the world the book is set in.

When put in comparison with the girls who'd had to fight for their right to wear hijab and play, Sadia's fight wasn't anything close to reality. It was too easy, a five minutes of stomping feet on the court and chanting "Let her play" was all they needed. Here's Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir's story of fighting FIBA to lift hijab ban. When I realized the story was focused on this, I'd really hoped Nelson would go in depth on how these struggles actually look for us hijabis, but there wasn't any research done at all.

Just like Sadia's life as a hijabi teen was very stereotypically shown, her Syrian heritage was poorly depicted. There was no grounded mention of the diaspora, nothing to show her culture. Besides that, Sadia and Nazreen's friendship revolving around Nazreen taking off hijab was a very ignorant take on the author's part. There were more ignorant and stereotypes throughout the book:
- Sadia is a monolithic, flawless character who feels the need to explain her existence all the time as if she owes it to everyone
- Every single Muslim character is middle eastern, immigrants, hijabi, speaks Arabic and barely knows English or has a very strong accent
- All Arabic speakers understand each other (There's no mention of the many different dialects)
- It equates hijab with Islam, and there is no other aspect of the religion shown anywhere
- Sadia and Amira both being surprised at how beautiful Canada is and remembering how trashy Syria was (here's a fact: it wasn't trashy before the war)
- It's a completely new and unfamiliar thing for Muslim girls to play sports (Have you ever seen Olympics?)
- A Syrian dish was actually called 'a Syrian dish'. (Do Syrians not name their dishes and call them all 'Syrian dish'?)
- White washed depiction of Islamophobia and Muslims feeling sorry for themselves because of it (Where was the insecurity, the fear, the rage?)

Overall, as a hijabi myself, reading Sadia's story wasn't like seeing someone who's like me, rather someone who my non-hijabi acquaintances picture me to be.

[Newt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book so much! I honestly loved how it focused on how Sadia needed to choose between playing basketball and staying true to her religion, but managed to do both anyway. The way that it told everyone how racism and discrimination are horrible things and how they affect people was amazing too. It put a spotlight on those things and basically just told us that we shouldn’t care what other people look like or where they come from, but to be kind because half the time you don’t know what they’re going through.

[Talon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really hoping this would be a 5 star read but here we are.

While this story is about 3 very different Muslim women, we see from the point of view of one of them, Sadia. The other two are Nazreen and Amira. All three girls goes to the same school and are around the same age.

Sadia is a basketball player who is in touch with her religion but wishes outsiders would see her as more than her hijab. Nazreen is Sadi's best friend and chooses to not to wear the hijab. Amria is a refugee who has come over from Syria, fleeing the crisis. The story does hit major points in being an refugee (despite not being told from Amria's POV) and does so in a way that younger readers would be able to understand it. There are a few marks that it seems to completely miss.

First of all, keep in mind that this is NOT ownvoices. The author is a white teacher who taught refugees in Canada (which is where this story takes place.)

I liked our characters. The story does read more like middle-grade than YA but with some parts clearly being meant for a YA story. The story did get boring a bit when it was just back and forth between two places (the school and home) without much going on. It's easy to forget that our characters are young; Sadia is only 15, and her friends are the same age.

Sadia overcoming the issues of playing basketball while also wearing her hijab was shown brilliantly. I've never read anything that showed a Muslim woman playing sports (though there should be more books on it.)

Amria isn't given as much time in the story as the other two girls, but her story does hit hard, taking about her experiences in Syria and her family. The language barrier that she faced could've been handled better by the author saying when her and Sadia were speaking English and when they weren't. I had issues when Amria was first introduced and she seemed to speak perfect English, only to find out that she was speaking Arabic. It just caused issues in my reading.

The one thing that really bothered me the most was Sadia's reaction over and over again to Nazreen removing her hijab at school. I've read several articles on how many feel that wearing (or NOT wearing) the hijab is choice made by each woman, and while I support all Muslim women's choices on wearing it or not, I feel like the way that this was handled in the story should be gone over by Muslim readers/reviewers. I'm hoping that sensitivity readers are being used to review this story.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. It was clearly written for a younger audience so I don't believe it should be marketed as YA but middle-grade instead. The characters were fleshed out well, there were just minor details and how I got bored with a big chunk of the story that pushed this 3 stars.

I'm hoping that more Muslim readers will read and review this so we have more an insight on this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for sending this ebook to me for an honest review.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadia is a story about 15 year old Sadia Ahmadi who is very passionate about basketball. The story also focuses on her relationship with her family and friends, along with other issues faced during high school. I thought that this would be a book that talked about some of the issues in our society today, especially as the synopsis speaks about how Sadia has to make a decision regarding removing her hijab in order to be able to play basketball. Although the author did touch on subjects that I imagine face many Muslims in today's society, I just didn't really feel like this book covered them as well as they could have been. They are definitely issues that should be talked about. I liked Sadia's character, as well as the author's writing, but I found that the plot itself was lacking. And although I like Sadia as a character, I just didn't become very invested in the story because the plot itself was lacking. With that being said, it is certainly a book that was not only entertaining, but also touched on some very important subjects and I certainly enjoyed reading about them.

Thank you to Durdurn for sending me an ARC of this book.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful book about friendship, growing up between cultures, and standing up for what’s right. Sadie struggles with having people see all she is capable of instead of just her dress. By seeing things from a different perspective and challenging preconceived notions, Sadia and her fellow students show what can happen when you look at the world through someone else’s eyes.

[Genevieve Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book, and I really wish Goodreads would allow fractions of stars because I think it's a solid 3.5.

It's definitely along the lines of countless other "slice of minority life to promote empathy and awareness" young reader books. This is supposed to be YA, I think, but it definitely vibes as more of a young reader book.

The plot revolves around Sadia's passion for basketball, and the tension between her and her friend Nazreen who is taking off her hijab at school behind the backs of her parents. Things are complicated even more when a new Arabic-speaking refugee student becomes Sadia's responsibility, and the homeroom teacher starts one of those "transformative" assignments that somehow galvanizes everyone to find their true self and follow their passion.

I enjoyed the basketball parts, and also the dynamic between Sadia and Nazreen most of all. I've read things from the perspective of the girl who's struggling with the decision whether to wear hijab or not to, but never anything exploring the wider social impact of a decision like that. It's obvious why Nazreen would want to de-hijab, socially and practically, but Sadia never seems to be tempted beyond just "if I took it off I'd be able to play basketball."

This dilemma is always presented as the pressures of secular society vs. being true to your culture, parents, or traditional values. I would be really interested if the stories that deal with the hijab and overall Muslim lifestyle ever dealt with the idea of God. Sadia isn't even tempted by social pressure to de-hijab, but its almost wholly couched in terms of modesty as a Muslim value, and her relationship with her parents. She's 15, so maybe this is just where she's at in her spiritual growth, but she also prays. Does she think about God? Does she think about the hijab as something she is doing that relates to God? Does she trust God, or think about why God would allow the kinds of things that happened to Syria and to her refugee friend's family? I always wonder how you can write an entire book about how someone's religion and culture impacts their life, and not even touch on what they think about God.

I'm also a little skeptical whenever transformative teachers assign transformative homework assignments that bring everyone together, and uplift and change everyone's lives. Does this happen in school? I'm pretty sure I would be the kid facedown on her desk thinking about the 12 other transformative assignments I have from other classes and silently begging the teacher to let me go home, where the projects I really care about are. Maybe I'm just a cynic, or never had a really good transformative teacher?

[L Cam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title granted by netgalley for an honest review

I was immediately intrigued by this title because of the fact that the main character is Muslim, and the culture is Islamic. There are too few of these stories in the world. By default, for whatever reason, main characters tend to be caucasian, so I was really happy to see a story coming from a non-caucasian world. There a lot of seemingly subtle cultural things that are actually a bigger deal than it is made out to be. It may seem like there was an obsession over the hijab, but it is a significant and culturally defining thing. And to a young girl especially early teens, their world is very limited in regards to the things that matter. Saida, for her was basketball, but the hijab is a huge barrier for her to that.

The characters were likable. I loved the fact that Sadia as into basketball because it is so far from what people assume a Muslim girl would be into. This is a very important story to girls this age. My only issue was that it told the perspective of one girl when it also follows a total of three girls going through roughly the same issue. I feel in this story, the impact would have been greater if it was told in third person, or something. It's hard rotating three feelings on something so important.

Overall this was a really good story. It's important, relevant, and has a unique target audience. The delivery could have been smoother, or the characters maybe older, but I feel this author has great potential to really impact the world of cultural diversity in books, and young Muslim girls to finally have more stories that are directly relateable. I can't wait to see more from this author. 3.5 stars

[SassyBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I've been reading quite a lot of YA stories lately which focus a lot around a muslim teenager wearing or not wearing a hijab. I have been interested in seeing the representation which was not available to me to read as a child, or which I could have read but did not know existed/did not do enough digging for them/should have read.

What I really enjoyed about this book was the focus on basketball and the standing up against the ignorant people as a team in the tournament. I loved the cover and things as her friend designing her basketball outfit for her.

However, the book covers sensitive issues, and I felt like as I've seen with some books I've read so far, that there is judging towards muslim females who choose not to wear a hijab. There are plenty of women who do and we should respect those who choose to wear one and those who don't. A review who goes more into dept about sensitive topics that could've been improved, read here: the review of Ayah.

However, if I was to recommend a YA book with a muslim main female character, I'd recommend Saints and Misfits for now. We do need more representation, however I do think this book could've benefitted from muslim proofreaders and advisors before publication.

[Jaclyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and light-hearted story about a Muslim girl who plays basketball and has to deal with discriminatory rules about wearing her hijab on court. I like the basketball stuff, and the friendships.

Parts of it felt a little TOO inspirational to me (e.g. Sadia realizing how much she has compared to her friend Amira, a Syrian refugee), and I wish some of the conflicts hadn't been solved quite so neatly. But I'll give the book a pass for that as it'll likely land better with kid readers. 3.5 rounded up to 4.

[Lauri Rottmayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It presents social issues that teens can learn from.

Sadia is a Muslim girl who wears hijab and loves to play basketball. She is accepted by her peers at school and makes the co-ed basketball team. It's when they get to the tournament that problems arise with other teams not accepting her different style of uniform. Still, Sadia doesn't want to remove her hijab for this because she feels deeply connected to her reasons for wearing it in the first place.

Sadia's friend, Nazreen, has begun removing her hijab (un-jabbing) at school along with changing her more modest clothing to clothing that's more trendy. Although Sadia doesn't agree with Nazreen's choice, she wants to remain friends and keeps her opinion to herself. When the first challenges come with Sadia's hijab coming undone while playing, Nazreen (who is an aspiring fashion designer) designs her a sleek uniform that will allow Sadia to remain covered but also give her more freedom of movement.

I liked this book a lot. I loved the character of Sadia. She was committed and very sure of herself. I loved how her team stood up for her and how the story ended up.

[Amy (novelteahappyme) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Canadian YA novel was a highly anticipated winter release and I’m grateful to Dundurn Press for sending me a copy to read and review.

Sadia is a timely story focusing on a muslim teen whose passion and talent for basketball is threatened when a discriminatory rule comes to light regarding her hijab. With a barrage of differing opinions being thrown at her from friends and family alike, Sadia must find the courage to stand up for herself and fight for what is right - on and off the court..

This timely and relevant discourse on cultural identity is a welcomed addition to YA novels. An easy and enjoyable read, the book does a superb job detailing Sadia’s everyday life and experience as both a muslim teen and a new Canadian. Due to great character detail and some emotional interwoven substories, readers come to care deeply for Sadia and her struggles surrounding her athletic play and her own personal identity.

My one criticism is that the book seems more suited for middle grade readers in terms of content and emotional weight. Although I think the author could have easily included some heavier plot points around the theme of discrimination, the story remains somewhat surface and simplistic. This isn’t to say the novel isn’t meaningful (it is!) but it offers a younger and more optimistic take on cultural difference.

[Colette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadia is a Muslim grade 9 student at Laura Secord School in Winnipeg. She has been in Canada for several years and has adjusted to the culture shock of leaving her home in Damascus. When a new girl, Amira, who is also Muslim, begins school, Sadia is asked to guide her and help her through her school day. Although they are both from Syria, Amira and her family are refugees and have lived for some time in the squalor of the camps. Meanwhile Sadia's best friend, Nazreen has begun de-jabbing while at school and driving a wedge between herself and Sadia who wishes to remain faithful to her religious beliefs.
It is refreshing to have a book that showcases Muslim characters that struggle with fitting into Western society but still adhere to modesty and family values. Middle grade and teen students have a great opportunity to learn about Islam and will begin to empathize with refugees through books such as this.
Colleen Nelson includes plot devices that complement the story beautifully. Sadia loves to play basketball yet her hijab is a nuisance on the court. All the main characters happen to have a wonderful teacher who encourages them to use photography as a means of expressing their particular perspectives. The triangle between the three girls is also adeptly handled, giving readers a spectrum of how newcomers to Canada react to settling here.
All in all, this novel is highly recommended for all ages, particularly teachers who would like to encourage discussion and empathy.

[A'idah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite my initial hesitations this book is probably the best YA novel about Muslim youth that I’ve read since Borderline. If I ever were to teach middle school English this would be on my short-list for students to read.

[Michelle Dwyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good YA read!

[Nancy Currie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story. A lot of dimensions. Very well-written.

[Stacey Browne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book deserves a standing ovation. I loved it all the way through.

[Katerina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book very interesting and empowering! It taught me to always stand up for others and what you believe and to never judge anyone, as you never know what’s going on in someone else’s life. However, I did find it hard to get into, and could have found many opportunities to strive away from Sadia's friend issues- which I found certain parts did tend to focus on.

3.5 STARS

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadia is a well-written, life applicable novel for readers of grades 6-8. It gives the reader a good look at today’s society; both the good and the bad, specifically discrimination.
The plot of this book is around a Muslim, high school girl who’s in love with basketball. Try-outs come up for the school team and she jumps at the opportunity. During the tournament, unexpected rules come up that throw a curveball for the team. The decision gets left in the hands of people who may use it in their favor. Will this help or hurt them? Will Sadia be brave? What will she do?
Colleen uses a variety of different literary devices when compiling her thoughts in to a novel. An example in Sadia would be foreshadowing. She also integrates many life issues, not only racism. Incorporated in this novel are things like high school and friend drama, Syrian war refugees, and sticking up for what you believe in.
Sadia is the protagonist, as the book is told in the first person point of view. There isn’t necessarily a specific antagonist, but the tournament rules could be considered the same. For secondary characters, you have Mariam (Sadia’s best friend), Amira (Syrian refugee), Carmina (Mariam’s best friend), Sadia’s parents, and Aazim (Sadia’s brother). Colleen conveys the life lessons through character development. Sadia starts out as your average high school girl who has basketball talent and passion. Life’s going smoothly with Mariam until Carmina comes into the picture, and then drama hits. Mariam is going against her religious beliefs, which could influence Sadia. She has to be strong, as she has many things to deal with because they all get stacked on top of one another and create a huge pile of things to deal with. Sadia learns how to deal with problems, and dismiss the consequences that are outweighed by the positives. She even gives away her brother’s secret to her parents because she knows what’s best for him and what’s right. She develops a personality that allows her to see a new point of view in things, and to explore the possibilities. Sadia is a brave young girl who isn’t afraid to stick up fo what she believes in.
This novel leaves you with a new perspective in life, and many take-away lessons that give kids the opportunity to read a great story and learn a lot too. I really enjoyed this book and you probably would as well.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was kinda boring in the start but when the team stuck up for her and she got to play the book got interesting